Two patients have tested negative for Coronavirus at Princess Royal University Hospital  in Orpington.  

Senior figures representing the King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said on Tuesday that two tests were performed at the hospital last week, with both returning negative results.  

Debbie Hutchinson, director of nursing at the Princess Royal University Hospital and south sites, said preparations were underway to safeguard against the virus, which has infected thousands of residents in China with further cases diagnosed across the world.   

“We are putting together our plans now – that includes making sure all staff are fit tested for respiratory masks, particularly in ED (emergency department,” she said.

Ms Hutchinson said management at the Orpington hospital was making sure “that ED staff know what to do when a patient presents” with symptoms of the virus. 

She said “meetings are currently underway” to ensure the hospital was ready to deal with any further suspected cases.  

The update came at a meeting of Bromley Council’s health scrutiny board this week.  

As of Sunday more than 50 people in the UK had been tested for the Coronavirus.  

Since its outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan, the virus has caused more than 100 deaths, spreading across China and to at least 16 countries around the world – but there are no confirmed cases yet in the UK.

British Airways announced on Wednesday it would suspend all flights to and from mainland China, ahead of Government plans to fly 200 British citizens back from Wuhan to the UK.